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Striking a


balance C


political


Can the coalition’s ‘light touch’ approach deliver the necessary changes we need to achieve a low carbon building stock? CIBSE technical director Hywel Davies fi nds out


A balance is needed between carrot and stick; currently it seems to be all carrot


IBSE has a long history of involvement with government and participation in industry working groups to help fi ne-tune policies


that affect building services engineering. Our expertise is regularly sought by civil


servants and others to fl esh out the likely impact of policy changes, but often we are left scratching our heads at the outcomes. Our job, then, is to help the industry deal with the often-unintended consequences. So how are we doing? The coalition government is heavily focused


on simplifying regulations and reducing red tape. It has also made it clear that it will not enact any new legislation unless an existing regulation is removed fi rst. This ‘one-in, one out’ approach is very much in keeping with the government’s ‘light touch’ style, which also extends to enforcement – or, some might say – a lack thereof. The government’s priority is to deregulate and streamline wherever possible; regulate only when all other approaches have been rejected; deliver policies that support its desire to be the ‘greenest government ever’; and improve compliance. There is a moratorium on regulation that affects micro-businesses and start-ups until April 2014 and a commitment to reduce the regulatory burden on housebuilders by April 2015.


Despite these good intentions, however, there is a


balance to be struck and we continually make that point to offi cials during our meetings. Simply unleashing the power of the market


in a bid to stoke up economic recovery is not consistent with a strategy for reducing carbon emissions and energy consumption. A balance is needed between carrot and stick; currently it seems to be all carrot.


Feeling the force A key area of activity for CIBSE and its industry partners is the Building Regulations – consultations for which come round with alarming regularity. As this supplement went to press, an announcement on any changes to Part L that will be implemented in 2013 was awaited. We understand the arguments for justifying additional legislation, and that we are in very diffi cult economic times. What CIBSE has argued for some time is that


we already have a number of regulations, and we should be making greater efforts to beef up enforcement of the regulations we already have. Take air-conditioning inspections as an example. Since it became a legal requirement to lodge these reports on the national register, we have seen very little evidence of an upturn in activity in this area, which has been plagued with non-compliance since 2008 when these inspections started. Yet there is little evidence that the regulations are being enforced. It makes good sense to reduce the burden on business, but when you have targeted


8


CIBSE Journal November 2012


www.cibsejournal.com


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